False rail for elevator-shafts.



M. BROWN. FALSE RAIL FOR ELEVATOR SHAPTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8.1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

NITED STATES PATENT onirica MARTIN BROWN, OF WILTON, NORTH DAKOTA.

FALSE RAIL FOR ELEVATOR-SHAFTS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN Brown, at citizen of the United States, residing atl Vilton, in the county of McLean and State 1 of North Dakota, have invented a new and useful False Rail for Elevator-Shafts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mine elevators and mine trackage.

The object is to provide safe and reliable means which will allow cars to be run across the bottom of an elevator shaft when the elevator is there, and also to provide means automatically operated by the elevator to allow cars to be run across the shaft when the elevator is raised. These and other objects I attain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a pit or bottom of an elevator shaft with my improved device therein, and pieces of a mining track and a car partly on said track and partly over the pit. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line a-a in Fig. 1, the car being removed and the lowerA part of an elevator suspended slightly above the pit. Fig. 3 is Fig. 2 with the elevator platform in its lowered position resting on the base timbers 3 of the pit. Fig. t is a top view of the frame work I provide for the bottom of the elevator shaft, the false rails being removed. Fig. 5 is a side view of the elevator platform.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1 designates the pit or bottom of an elevator shaft in which I place a frame consisting of the lower cross beams 2 and longitudinal beams 3 across the ends of said beams '2. I will call the beams 3 longitudinal beams since they extend in that direction of the tracks 4 which approach the elevator pit from two opposite sides of it.

The falling of coal cars into elevator shafts is a frequent occurrence in the mines and the result is a blockade of traliic and expensive loss of time as well as loss by damage and sometimes injury to workmen. To avoid all these kinds of occurrences I provide the following mechanism and parts: Upon the beams 2 are flat metallic bars 5 secured by bolts or screws 6, and having near each end a lug 7, to each of which is pivotally secured at S the toe 21 of the foot-shaped or L-shaped lower portion of a leg 10, formed one near each end of what I will term a false rail 9. There are two of these rails, one on each Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 8, 1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909. Serial No. 476,803.

side extending across the pit and so constructed that when they are in the raised position they connect the ends of the track or rails 4 on either side of the pit, thus forming a continuous track (see Fig. 1). This position of the false rails necessarily brings them some distance above the pit 1 and bars 5 but the height of the legs 1() pro- Vide for this and hold them level with the rails 4l. The rail legs 10 being L-shaped it will be readily understood that when they are in their upright working position (as in Figs. 1 and 2) each of them rests with its heel 20 upon the base bar 5 and thus together with the pivot 8 holds the rail in elevated position. I thus provide a continuous track across the pit, thereby allowing uninter rupted trailic on the track when the elevator or hoisting cage is not at the bottom of t-he shaft. I also provide a continuous track even when the cage is resting in the pit; the latter track and means being provided as follows; Secured across the underside of the Hoor 11 of the cage I provide a T-iron or other suitable iron 12 with a downward flange 13. Said flange has two horizontal, outwardly extending slits 14 (see Fig. extending from near the middle toward the outer ends of the flange, where they curve gradually downwardly as at 15 and terminate in a gap 16 which comes directly above the rail 9 at its reduced middle portion 16X (see Fig. 1) when the cage is lowered. IVhen the cage is lowered into the pit the port-ion 16X of the rail comes into contact with the curved edges 15 of the flange 18 thereby causing the rail to swing or fold inward on its pivot- 8, gradually as the cage is lowered, and finally to the lowered position when the cage floor rests on the beams 3 (see Fig. 3), and when the cage ascends, said edges 15 raise the rail 9 again. 17 are rails on the platform of the cage as is common in such devices, on which to place a car 18 to be elevated in the mine shaft. Said rails 17 are in line with the track 4 when the cage is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 3 thus again providing a continuous track in the mine.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

In mines or other places the combination with an elevator shaft having its lower end terminated by a base floor or level provided with a pit at the base of the shaft, of main track rails extending upon the base Vdoor from opposite sides of the pit, a cage mountl ed to move up and down in the shaft, rails liXed upon the floor of the cage and adapted when the cage is fully lowered to form a continuous track with the main rails at the sides of the pit, false rail sections in the lpit below the cage and provided with legs having their lower ends pivotally secured to the bottom of the pit so as to fold horizontally when the cage is down and swing to an upright position and hold the false rails in line with the main rails when the cage is up, and means Xed on the cage for automatically folding and raising the false rails as the cage passes down into the pit and',

leaves it again, said legs being L-shaped or foot shaped and pivoted at their toe portion and adapted to stand each of them firmly on its heel when the leg is upright, the rail being mounted on the top of the leg vertically above the heel when the leg is standing, and fixed metallic plates at the base of the pit for the legs to stand on, said plates having lugs to which the legs are pivoted.

In testimony whereof I aiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN BROVN.

Vitnesses SEVRIN B. OLSON, OLE A. BERG. 

